GE Capital

Ascendas Sing-bridge

Hero Homes

Finance and I

Why Finance and I mix?

In any organisation everything is ultimately measureable in numbers and all activities end up in numbers, whether it is sales, production, capex, employee cost or admin cost etc -- everything stops at finance.

A finance professional is always better placed to understand how a company is doing and where the problem area lies. This makes them much more connected to the organisation.

As a professional I enjoy that connection and being able to have first hand information on company’s performance, its issues, opportunities and challenges. Being at the helm of the finance function gives you a much wider perspective and a helicopter view of the business to help you making informed decisions.

Motto I live my quarters by...

No compromise on ethics and integrity. Keep challenging yourself. Never give up

Being CFO to me means....

Custodian of the company’s finance. To me a CFO (and for that matter the entire finance team) is the final gate-keeper standing to ensure compliance with organisation policies and guidelines as well as standard operating procedure.

When I switch any company I would like to be remembered for...

Enabler and enhancer of business. I keep on hearing stories of the finance profession as a barrier or hurdle to business. It is important to look at how it can be done rather than why it should not be done.

Next pit stop

CEO / business head role to get an even wider perspective

Leadership goals

Coach and mentor my team and others, sharing of knowledge and wisdom rather than keeping it to myself.

In any organisation everything is ultimately measureable in numbers and all activities end up in numbers, whether it is sales, production, capex, employee cost or admin cost etc -- everything stops at finance.

Learnings

Another CFO I look up to...

I believe there are opportunities to learn from everyone you meet and I have learnt a lot from everyone.

Another leader/mentor I you look up to...

If there is one leader and mentor to look forward to, it would be my present Chairman, Sunil Kant Munjal. I admire the way he understands and articulates issues, the wide array of knowledge and wisdom he has of various aspects whether related to his businesses or not. And above all his his simplicity and humility

One deal I wish I had done

A large project in Gurgaon on which we had initially done lot of leg work and due diligence but which could not be carried forward to its logical conclusion due to over conservative views of Investment Committee. There are times when you have to take calculated risk and you have to look beyond the negative aspects of a potential investment. Sometimes one should not give too much credence to sensitivity analysis and follow your gut feel.

One thing I still want to learn

Lots of them. I still need to learn lot many things, few on priority would be presentation skills, international funding, M&A.

Most over-rated financial advice

Invest in gold

My mantra for adapting for change...

Keep yourself updated. Be receptive to changes happening in the environment surrounding you.

In the War Zone

What was the most toughest decision you had to make in your role as a CFO?

Most decisions are tough for a CFO as they directly involve money. What is more important for me is to take decisions and move forward.

I dislike when people do not take decisions for the fear of repercussions. It is important to take decisions which suit best the given situations and circumstances. If some of them prove wrong, so be it. There shall be learnings in failure also.

What is the most challenging thing you faced in your current role? What is your biggest learning in these VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguous) times?

I have found it difficult for stakeholders to accept the failure or recognise the need for changes in their business plans or investment decisions. It is difficult to be carrier of bad news and more often than not the CFO has to be the carrier of such news. I have also faced such challenges. As a CFO, you need for present such cases in a cohesive manner so that message should be sent across subtly, but clearly.

How do you wish to transform the CFO’s role in the future?

There has been a transformation in the role of CFO over the years. From just a stewardship role involving accounting and controllership, it has evolved into that of a strategist who partners business and drives growth. In my opinion, the next level of transformation would come with CFO taking over the role of a CEO or COO.

A CFO is better placed to understand the numbers and knows the financials and performance inside out. A CFO is better placed to drive operational efficiency in running the business than anyone else.

Do you feel that with current scenario of digital transformation your business metrics have changed?

With current digital transformation, the way CFOs look at business has changed. With technology catching up and information on everyone’s fingertips, a CFO is able to get most of the information on the go. With digital technology like machine learning, big data, cognitive computing, many decisions have become automated and he is able to analyse data on a host of metrics.

With increased digitalisation, a CFO is more empowered with decision making tools and therefore is better placed to take informed decisions.

Have you transformed into a Digital CFO yet?

Not there fully yet. Still learning tricks of the game.

Updated - 12th Jan, 2018

ONE LINERS

Stress Buster

Ghazals by Jagjit Singh

Guilty Pleasure

Roadside food

Prized possession from first salary

A Louis Philippe shirt

Favourite book / movie

Dil Chahta Hai

What specific mental, physical, emotional and/or spiritual activities do you engage in to keep yourself operating at optimum level